Former National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Solita “Winnie” Monsod has questioned the shifting of responsibility over the release of unprogrammed appropriations, saying Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman is being unfairly blamed for decisions that, by long-standing practice, require presidential approval.
In an interview on Facts First with Christian Esguerra, Monsod recalled that Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno previously stated that “nothing is released from the unprogrammed appropriations without the approval of the President of the Philippines, not just DBM.” She noted that recent claims suggesting the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) alone authorizes such releases contradict this rule, effectively making Pangandaman the “scapegoat.”
“Do you think Amenah Pangandaman would do all that on her own? Nothing is released without the approval of the president,” Monsod stressed during the podcast.
She drew parallels to the administration of former president Joseph Estrada, who required all contracts worth ₱50 million to be cleared by Malacañang. Estrada even issued an executive order formalizing the requirement, Monsod said, adding that while the current budget release rule is unwritten, it has been consistently observed.
“That was the rule all the way up to Pangandaman’s time. And now it seems that Pangandaman is getting all the blame to herself because of that,” Monsod remarked.
Investigations revealed that most of the anomalous flood control projects were funded through unprogrammed appropriations— extra allocations released when revenue collections exceed targets or when additional external financing becomes available. (JCNE)
